DRIVING FROM BANGKOK TO THE LAOS BORDER

In May this year, my wife and I drove from Bangkok to the border of Laos stopping in a number of places along the way. This Northeast area is commonly known as Issan provinces and is the heartland of Thailand. This area is also famous for it's somtam (papaya salad) and khai ya or moo ping (grilled chicken or pork) with sticky rice.

The whole journey over 3 nights will involve about 1,500 km of driving and I must say that the roads are much better than what I had expected.

Our first night was spent in Nakhon Ratchasima (or formerly known as Korat). It is 3rd largest city in Thailand. It has quite a history and an old walled city surrounded by a moat. There is a large statue and monument here honoring Khun Ying Mo or Princess Suranaree. She helped to defend the city against invading Lao army. She is honored for her bravery and intelligence. Nowadays, many Thais come here to pray to ask for her help in ensuring the husbands will not leave them....wow, there seem no shortage of women praying here.

Next day, we moved on to Khon Kaen, the heart of Isaan Province. The city is also well developed and as there are quite a number of foreign people (especially Europeans) staying here, it was odd to see quite a number of Western designed houses and buildings here.

In the middle of the city, there is large lake and it seems to be the main landmark of the city. There are parks, jogging tracks, restaurants and night markets surrounding the lake.

One particular area seems popular and we joined them in the evening. They laid out low tables and everyone sat on the ground. It was surprisingly not that hot and humid as expected. We had quite a lot of local delicacies and snacks not readily found in Bangkok such as cured meat.

The next day, we ventured further Northeast. Along the way, there were people selling fresh lotus seeds. My wife loved them as a child although I have not tasted them before. We bought some and tried and it was very good.

While driving, we came across signboards about Baan Chiang, a UNESCO world heritage site. Normally, if accorded this, the place must be worth visiting. We decided to make a detour. It was not too far off our plan. A foreign researcher unearthed this place by accident some 30 years ago and found a civilisation more than 5,000 years old. The museum housing this place is quite well done and I can't help but to be impressed with it. This place is not well known as it is located really far from Bangkok or the islands and not many people will travel so far just to see this place. Most people here are local tourists only. I felt really privilaged to be able to see this place. They would not allow photos in the museum so I could only capture some photos outside.

After this, we went to Nong Khai, the border town with Laos. We could have crossed to Laos if we wanted to but felt not worth the hassle just for a few hours. The border is made up of the Mekong river. They built a bridge aptly named the Friendship bridge some time ago to link the two countries. Previously, one had to cross in a boat or ferry. They have restaurants along the river and we went to one of them. You can see how far we had to climb down and the difference in depth of the river between the wet and dry seasons.

On the way back to Bangkok, we stopped in a number of places. In one of the stops for petrol and toilet, I saw a truck delivering snacks to a food stall there. I have many times in Bangkok, in my travels and on TV but have not eaten them before. This time, at the urging of my wife, I tried these famous snacks, fried grasshoppers, crickets, baby frogs and worms. Well, what do you think they taste like?

Well, they don't taste bad and it is crunchy but you have to take off the legs, feelers and parts that they cause your throat to itch. It won't be my favorite snacks but I can do it again.

The large petrol stations in Thailand has the right concepts with food stalls, food and coffee shops and many other facilities. The toilets are clean and for this place, there are many large trees giving shade which makes the place very cool and comfortable. I am impressed. There are many such stations along the way.

Not too far from Bangkok, there is an area called Saraburi. This area is popular with Bangkok people as a weekend getaway and short holiday. This area is famous for its agriculture as well as eco tourism. They also raise a lot of cattle here for its milk and meat. So it was not surprising to see a lot of cowboy styled restaurants and drinking saloons offering steaks.

I enjoyed looking at the different types of crops and plants which they have here. There are apple custards, corn and even flowers. They all looked so healthy and well looked after.

We also managed to sneak in a quick drive to Khao Yai National Park nearby here which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a lovely area and for those who love outdoor activities, there are hiking trails, animal watching and even camping sites. However for us this time, it was just a quick drive through.

In another area nearby is Pak Chong, also famous for its agriculture and eco-tourism but in addition, it has vineyards! I was surpised to see this here although I knew Thailand made their own wine but I thought it would have been located in the north of Thailand.

We went to one of the vineyard and found the place very interesting. I am no wine connesieur so we just tasted some of the vine. I found them too acidic and sour for my liking. They also had a small retaurant where we had lunch. The food was good and we enjoyed it as it was very quiet and we were the only ones there.

The vineyard also had a beautiful pond and trees with flowers.

Overall, a very interesting and eye opening trip. The most enjoyable is actually the drive. There were so many scenic areas such as lakes, dams, mountains and greenery. I will make another trip not too long in the future as there are still so many things to see.

Until then, cheers.

A WEEKEND IN SUZHOU, CHINA

I had to make a business trip to Shanghai in May this year and thought it would be a good to take a weekend off some where nearby with my wife. We had visited Hangzhou a couple of years ago and this time, we will go to Suzhou.

When we arrived at the airport, we were unprepared for a different welcome. We were asked to sit down and waited for the health authority to take our temperature. They were dressed like a scene from X-files or those from a movie about germs or virus.

Imagine what was going through all those on board. What if there was some one with high fever or with the symptoms. Were we all going to get a free holiday from the Chinese government (i.e. 7 days quarantine)?. Luckily, we were given the green light. However, there is another line before the immigration to double check the temperature. It was chaotic.

From what I read, there are a lot of buses from Pudong airport to Suzhou and I decided to try this out. I was not prepared for the going roundabout way as the signs were lacking. It took us a long time to get to the bus area. The journey was also equally long as it also makes a stop at Hongjiao airport to pick up other customers. Overall it took more than 4 hours for a 2 and a half hour trip. Not really convenient.

For a change, we also decided to stay in a Ming styled courtyard house which has been turned into a boutique hotel. Based on the net, it is something really different. They were right, it is a real change and the feeling is totally different. It is also very quiet and calming in the courtyard. It's location is also ideal and fairly near to city centre and the lane where it is located is both lively and quaint.

The tourist bus system in Suzhou is cheap, efficient and brings you to most of the tourist attractions. Each time you get on, you pay RMB 2. So it was very convenient for us as there were so many touts trying to get you. There were also a lot of trishaws but they smell you a mile away and the amount they charge tourist is much higher than the local. Anyhow, we tried it once and found it to be a rather pleasant ride but scary as he weaves around traffic.

We also had a good time trying the local cuisine. For one of the breakfast, we saw a queue in a small shop and we joined in and bought some soyabean and a few fried pastries. It was hot, fresh and delicious. Enough for two of us. Cost us RMB 2.70 (about USD 0.50).

We also tried some of their noodles. Most locals would order a bowl of noodles with a topping (meat with vegetables). This wuld cost them about RMB 7 (about USD 1). As we wanted to try the food, my wife and I would order a bowl of noodles to share (it was huge) but a few types of the dishes (meat and vegetables). The locals would stare at us and I am not sure what is going through their mind. Anyhow, the food would be delicious and filling and all this will cost us about RMB 20 (less than USD 3).

We also had lunch one day at a small restaurant and we tried the local delicacies here. Quite similar to Shanghai food, they had cold and hot dishes. We ordered some simple but hearty dishes and it came to about RMB 70 (about USD 10).

Apart from food, Suzhou is of course famous for its water canals which makes the place very serene and also the gardens. I love Chinese gardens over the years when visiting China and it can be very calming to enjoy it quietly and in pleasant weather. However, whilst the weather was pleasant in May, not too hot, the problem was the crowd. In the weekend, this place is swarming with people from Shanghai coming for a short holiday and those from the other provinces. Imagine a nice garden full of tour guides with loud hailers trying to outdo each other. Ouch! Anyhow, I hope my pictures will show a quieter place than it was.

Although there were many gardens in Suzhou, due to the experience mentioned above, we only went to the Humble Administrator's garden. In addition, the charges are about RMB 100 per person to enter, not cheap at all. After all, it is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Suzhou is also known for it's pearls and although we did not buy any, we took some pictures from a shop.

We also went to Tiger Hill where a very old pagoda is housed. I must say that this place is very interesting. There is also a moat around the hill and we went for a boat ride around the moat which also connected to the canals. we were actually undecided but there were 2 other Chinese tourist who asked us to share the boat with them (each boat can carry 4 persons) and split the bill. Well, have to be a bit kiasu, and since we can save some money, we agreed.

We also visited Suzhou International Park (SIP) which is jointly developed with Singapore. This is the modern part of the city housing many factories. It is also in this area where the new commercial area is being developed. Many high rise apartments, shopping mall, recreation area has and continued being built. At night, the whole area is lighted up and it feels like Christmas in the middle of the year.

In one area, they built a causeway across a large lake and many restaurants lined the whole causeway. It was also very popular as the area was crowded. We did not know what to eat and at last decided on Korean. What also enticed us was the spider crab. We thought we needed a change after so many days of local Chinese food. Anyhow we both love Korean food. We had the customary kimchi with the accompanying small dishes. We also had the bibimbab together with the huge crab done in 2 style steamed and grilled.

It was a nice way to end our weekend to Suzhou and overall, it was a nice and pleasant weekend for us.

Until then, cheers.